AWS EC2 agents can be created automatically inside StresStimulus. All you need is an active AWS account to get started.

AWS EC2 Agent Wizard

To create a new AWS EC2 instance in the main menu go to Tools -> AWS EC2 Agents. You can also navigate through Load Agents -> Create Cloud Load Agent. The AWS EC2 Manager dialog will appear. Click the Create New AWS EC2 Instance button to bring up the AWS EC2 Agent Wizard.

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Note: StresStimulus creates On-Demand Windows EC2 instances. These instances are provided by AWS at a pricing structure that is described here. While StresStimulus attempts to terminate instances that are no longer needed, users are responsible for confirming the instance was terminated by AWS. StresStimulus is not liable for any AWS charges.

AWS Credentials

To create AWS EC2 Agents, you will need to have an active AWS account with a configured IAM user. Then enter your Access Key ID and Secret Access Key in the text boxes and click Next. For more on finding your access key id and secret access, key click here.

Region Selection

Next, select the region in which to create your instance. A list of available regions is located here. If this is the first time that region is selected, you will need to create a key pair that will be used to decrypt the Administrator passwords for all instances in this region. Click the Create New Key Pair button to create a new key pair.

Instance Type

Next, select the type of instance you wish to create. The instance type determines the performance of the instance which includes the number of CPUs, memory size, and network capacity. For a list of available instance types click here.

Agent Name

If you wish to create an agent from this instance for your current test, add an agent name in this step. Otherwise, skip it.

Click Next to get to the confirmation screen.

Finally, click Next to create the instance.

AWS EC2 Instances Manager

Continue with the wizard until a new instance is created. The newly created instance appears in the manager. It is initially in an initializing state but will change to running state after some time. At this point, you can click Add as Agent to add this instance as an agent to the current test (if not already assigned).

The status phases which each instance goes through are detailed below.

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Status

Instance request pending

Preparing instance

Instance complete and ready to assign as agent

Agent created

instance terminated

StresStimulus security group

Each created instances uses a security group called StresStimulus Agent v5.0. This group will be automatically created the first time an instance is created in a particular region.

If this security group fails to be automatically created, it must be created manually. The name of the security group must be StresStimulus Agent v5.0. It must open port 49998 for agents and port 49996 for monitoring.